Indonesia - Country Strategy

1. Overview
2. Country Strategy
3. Priorities
4. Key Program Managers
5. Current Projects
6. Concluded Projects
7. Achievements
8. Relevant Publications
9. Country News and Stories
10. Project Locations
11. Country Office
12. Country Portfolio
13. AusAid and Other Briefs
14. Fellowship Statistics

Country Strategy

ACIAR's Indonesia program emphasises the application of agricultural policy and technical research and development to support economic growth from agriculture, forestry and fisheries in six provinces of eastern Indonesia and in parts of Java and Sumatra. The program will contribute to increasing farmers' incomes through shifting emphasis from factor-driven production agriculture to the development of integrated agribusinesses. It will do this by focusing on high-value commodities for which there is strong market demand. The Indonesian Government has identified these commodities as priorities because of major constraints that require attention through research and cooperation to improve the policies that underpin agribusiness development.

In addition to supporting research on production and productivity enhancement, ACIAR will also address related pest and disease management (including shared biosecurity concerns), postharvest processing and market development issues. Protection of the resource base for agriculture will be boosted through research collaboration on aspects of crop and livestock biosecurity, and sustainable forestry and fisheries management; and through policy research on effective engagement in markets, particularly with respect to domestic agricultural policy settings. Improved domestic policy by Indonesia should lead to more active engagement in trade liberalisation initiatives. This will be achieved by contributing to the development of well-functioning agricultural commodity markets in which clearer market signals will enhance farm incomes and enable Indonesia to realise its comparative production and trade advantages. This will also help in directing technical research and extension to areas of higher returns, and inform more efficient private investment in agribusiness, infrastructure and marketing.

ACIAR and Indonesian partners involve end users such as extension groups, the private sector and NGOs during the development and implementation of projects. ACIAR will encourage linkages between research agencies in agriculture, forestry and fisheries and policy/implementation directorategenerals, and will support cooperation between central institutes and provincially based adaptive research agencies and planning authorities.

The emphasis of capacity-building activities is to support the Indonesian Government's efforts to develop a demanddriven agricultural research system. This will be achieved through training on: research management (including research prioritisation, project evaluation and impact assessment); experimental design and analysis; economics/ social science for biophysical scientists; participatory agricultural research and extension skills; and agribusiness, including supply-chain management. There is a particular emphasis on capacity building in research management in institutes in eastern Indonesia and Aceh.

Visit the Indonesia Country Consultation 2007 page.